Statements and other transactional documents are the most read of all direct mail pieces. Get the most out of each mailing by adding a few simple elements.

Does your business mail transactional documents, such as statements and invoices, to customers? Have you considered that you could be getting more out of them?

Transactional documents are typically dull, number-based documents that offer little room for customer engagement. And yet, these are the communication pieces that receive the most attention from consumers – as many as 95% of recipients open them, devoting three minutes per day on average to reading them.

With a response rate well over that of unsolicited direct mail, it’s clear that paper statements present a huge opportunity to reach customers.

From financial institutions to healthcare organizations to municipalities and beyond, communicators have sought (and found) ways to turn their transactional documents into engaging communication pieces.

How? Here’s a few ideas:

• Add color.
  Beyond strengthening your branding in transactional documents, studies show that color increases willingness to read messaging by up to 80% and retention of that messaging by up to 75%.Color helps readers more easily identify the most important information on a page. Using color to highlight the figures or messages that customers most want to see can add clarity to statements and reduce call center traffic.Advanced printing technology allows organizations to add color to statements at little additional cost over black and white. With the impact that color has on clarity and retention, it’s easy to justify the minimal extra cost.
• Use tables & graphs.
  Graphs and tables make complex information more easily digestible, especially when formatted with color. Humans tend to be very visual creatures, processing visual stimuli significantly faster than text. With this, it’s a great idea to represent information in your business’ statements in the format of tables, charts and graphs.Want to demonstrate the interest earned on a savings account over time? Or show customers how they’re spending money by category? Show the recipient a bar graph or pie chart with monthly totals.
• Include personalized messages to cross-sell, upsell or educate.
  Variable data printing (VDP), the technology that allows us to print the correct numbers on each customer’s statement, also allows for personalized messages to be added to a statement or invoice at little to no additional cost.With VDP, messages can be targeted based on the data that you already have. Without adding printing or postage costs to your mailing, you can get relevant, personalized marketing and/or educational messages in front of a captive audience.If you’re a financial institution, consider promoting mortgage refinancing options to customers who don’t already hold a mortgage with you. Or share information about your newest saving account options with those customers who only have a checking account.Healthcare organizations can use space on patient statements to provide health education based on the patient’s age, or to promote health services at locations close to the customer’s home. Municipalities can offer energy-saving tips for residents whose energy usage is above a certain level.
• Add an insert.
  When mailing statements, the second ounce of postage comes at no additional cost. Make the most of this by including a colorful insert with information about relevant products or services. Use eye-catching graphics and relevant messaging to share new service or product announcements, promotional messages or company updates

Whatever your business, adding different elements to your transactional documents can help differentiate you from your competitors, engage customers and create customer loyalty. The key is to provide information that is relevant and personal, with a design that is easy-to-understand.